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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pop — soda
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. last — final
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. perch — the fish
  7. deal — to handle
  8. field — for sport
  9. lie — to recline
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. pop — music
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. ball — a dance
  16. field — a subject
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pop — to visit
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. field — farmland
  22. last — finally
  23. ball — a great time
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com